The rules for the a-kassen will change from Wednesday. In particular, the reform contains provisions for a reduction in the duration of compensation.
In the midst of the pension reform, the topic does not make the headlines, but its application will nevertheless affect the lives of millions of French people. From 1 February, the a-cashier form comes into force. The decree, published on Friday 27 January in the Official Journal of the European Union, validates the measures announced by the government at the end of 2022.
The text allows for a 25% reduction in the duration of compensation for all new registrants at Pôle Emploi from this Wednesday. The idea is to tighten compensation rules when the situation on the labor market is good and when jobs need to be filled, and to “protect more” when the situation worsens. When the unemployment rate is below 9% (as it is currently), or if it does not increase by more than 0.8 points over a quarter, the duration of jobseeker’s compensation is reduced by 25%. An unemployed person who would have been entitled to, for example, 24 months’ compensation under the current scheme, will only be entitled to eighteen months. He will again be entitled to 24 months of compensation if the unemployment rate passes the 9% mark or if it rises by more than 0.8 points in a quarter.
Overseas France and protected entertainment workers
With this tightening of the rules, the board wants to promote full employment and respond to many companies’ recruitment difficulties. Through its Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt, the government hopes between “100 and 150,000 will return to work” by 2023. The rules for benefiting from ARE will not change. It will always be necessary to justify 6 months of work over the last 24 months in order to be entitled to return to work assistance.
As with any new rule, this one provides a few exceptions: residents of the overseas territories, entertainment workers, fishermen and dock workers are not affected by this new reform.
The conditions for receiving unemployment benefit are also becoming tougher. An employee who is guilty of having given up his position will no longer be able to claim social security insurance from 1 February, as is already (in theory) the case in the event of resignation. Denying twice a CDI for employees on short contracts (CDD, temporary) also becomes a valid reason to remove ARE.
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